Venezuela sting finds trove of TP

CARACAS – It had all the makings of a routine drug bust: an anonymous tip to the cops, a raid on a hideout. The loot? Toilet paper.

Following the raid, the government announced that police had seized 2,450 bales of toilet paper in the working-class neighborhood of Antimano, west of Caracas. Also seized were 400 packages of diapers and 7,000 liters of fruit juice.

The merchandise was stored “in a clandestine warehouse,” Interior Minister Miguel Rodriguez Torres said. An investigation has been launched to determine where all the goods came from and who they were intended for, national police Chief Luis Karabin said.

Venezuela’s economy is struggling. Toilet rolls are one of the five most sought-after basics that are currently in severe shortage, the others being toothpaste, toilet soap, diapers and feminine napkins.